


morale and fellow-feeling

by stellarer



Category: Friends at the Table (Podcast)
Genre: COUNTER/Weight - Freeform, Crushes, Friendship, Kingdom Game, M/M, Propaganda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 10:13:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,793
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15265281
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellarer/pseuds/stellarer
Summary: Jace steps closer to Addax, trying to look composed. They’ve been posing under the hot lights for nearly three hours, all told. Even Addax, who had seemed calm and self-assured in his individual headshots and with Tea and the Queen's Gambit, is fidgeting with the sleeve of his Diasporan military jacket. He glances at Jace, half-smiling, and says, "C'mon, Rethal, let's get this over with."





	morale and fellow-feeling

**Author's Note:**

> major thanks to abby for betaing this and contributing several key concepts and also having a ton of feelings about the kingdom game with me!!

\--Transmission from General Grade Vale, head of the OriCon Military Public Relations Division, to Captain Orth Godlove of The Kingdom Come--

Due to new policies to strengthen the alliance between the People’s Conglomerate of Orion and the Autonomous Diaspora, Command requests ten to fifteen photos to be used in the creation of posters and displays to promote morale and fellow-feeling within and between our two societies.

This is considered an extension of established duties. We expect your taskforce to divert resources and crew as necessary to complete this assignment.

Enclosed is a file containing specific requirements and a list of the necessary personnel to be documented.

Deliver photo files by next transmission.

\--End Transmission--

  
  


It's a really good thing that they did the individual headshots first, Jace thinks. And, more than that, that this specific photoshoot is the last one of the day. He can feel a blush on his face and neck, which might be bright and blotchy enough to show through the foundation they’ve put on him. He's sweating a bit along his hairline. He can feel the industrial-strength hair gel that holds it in waves starting to give up.

Orth had pulled Jace, Tea, and Addax aside during lunch and told them, frazzled and apologetic, to report to a repurposed conference room for an OriCon-Diaspora alliance propaganda photoshoot. “I only got the message today, and they want results tomorrow,” he’d said. The entire photo crew is volunteers—soldiers, technicians, kitchen staff. The self-appointed producer, Seemly, is a Gemm refugee who used to run hir own studio where ze directed music videos. Most everyone else is a hobbyist, or just someone who has free time.

"Rethal, please stand closer to Candidate Addax. And _try_ to look...I don't know. Heroic," sighs Major Prin Currant, the volunteer photographer. Seemly adds, "Determined. Inspired. Decided."

Jace hears Tea mutter, "Less like you’re gonna puke."

Jace steps closer to Addax, trying to look composed. They’ve been posing under the hot lights for nearly three hours, all told. Even Addax, who had seemed calm and self-assured in his individual headshots and with Tea and the Queen's Gambit, is fidgeting with the sleeve of his Diasporan military jacket. He glances at Jace, half-smiling, and says, "C'mon, Rethal, let's get this over with."

"That's close enough. Okay. Now, I want both of you to look off into the distance,” Currant indicates towards where Tea is getting her makeup removed; Tea gives a sardonic wave. “And try to remember. That you're apparently goddamn. Military. Heroes."

“As if anyone would let me forget,” Jace mutters, and Addax coughs in a way that might be covering a laugh. The corner of his mouth is twitching up, and a lock of plum hair threatens to fall into his eyes.

"Rethal. Eyes over _there,_  if you please, not on the Candidate," Currant says tetchily.

Jace quickly looks where he’s told, but out of the corner of his eye he sees Addax startle a little.

Maybe Currant has something against Jace personally, because she adds, "Oh, but keep the expression you had. A little wistful."

"Yearning," adds Seemly. Jace feels his blush deepen, and fixes his eyes where he’s supposed to. Which is right at Tea, who is taking advantage of not being photographed by not bothering to hide her laughter.

Jace focusses on not scowling. He remembers to breathe--can't breathe too deep, but intentional breaths are a start. Ignores Tea. Tries very hard to seem cool and confident. Tries not to think about Addax standing next to him.

"Candidate Addax, _please_  keep your eyes—you know what? Everyone take five." Currant slams a clipboard down and turns to Seemly, muttering, “I’m getting a coffee and then it’s your turn to deal with the heroes.”

Jace sighs, then notices Addax looking at him. "Uh—sorry," Jace says, "I'm not very good at photos."

"Yeah," says Addax, then shakes his head as if clearing it. "No, it's fine. It's been a long day."

Jace groans, sitting down on the floor against a crate and putting his head in his hands. "Yeah, and I've been messing up since the beginning. Apparently I look like I'm not taking the war seriously enough for a propaganda photo."

Addax laughs, sitting down a couple feet away from Jace and grabbing a water bottle from under a lighting rig. "Hey, if they can't find a way to spin it, that's on them. 'Jace Rethal Laughs In The Face Of Danger.' Easy."

Jace grins at him. "The two thumbs up might be more difficult to spin,” he says. When Addax raises an eyebrow, Jace demonstrates, pulling the cheesiest smile he can manage.

"Jace Rethal," Addax says, tone faux-serious, "that poster alone would make me sign up for the military. The OriCon military, even."

It’s too much for Jace, sitting on the floor while Addax jokes with him like they’re actually friends instead of rivals. He cracks up, runs out of breath, rests his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands.

"They make you pose for these horribly stiff international unity posters for hours and then when you're laughing at each other's bad jokes they don't even bother to take candids," Tea says from behind Jace. "What a waste. Hey Jace, got you a water." Surely enough, a water bottle lands with typical Tea precision and impact right between Jace's feet.

He tips his head back against the crate to smile at her. "Thanks, Tea."

"I'm going to head out, okay? Orth said he wanted to talk soon, and this photoshoot has no end in sight."

Jace sighs theatrically. "We'll suffer through. Have. Fun? Talking with Orth?"

Tea laughs, already walking away.

Addax is looking over at the photographer. "You might want to drink that water quick," he says. "They're about to call us back."

Sure enough, Jace only has enough time to chug about half the water before Currant is yelling about places and lighting and backgrounds and all sorts of stuff that goes right over Jace's head.

Seemly approaches them with a clipboard and a stubbornly optimistic expression. “Turns out we got what we needed for the last photo, so we’re moving on. The idea for these posters is…quote, to promote morale and fellow-feeling within and between these military adversaries. Unquote.” Ze beams. “They want to promote an attitude of cooperation and understanding. We’re going to have you stand here with your arms over each other’s shoulders. I know you’re rivals, but try to look like you’re good friends.”

“We are friends,” Addax says, holding his arm out for Jace.

Currant takes about fifty shots of the same pose, frowning at the camera display and telling them to make minuscule adjustments. Jace can’t mind that it’s taking so long when he’s pressed up against Addax’s side and Addax just said they were friends.

Seemly is back, making checkmarks on hir clipboard. “The last thing we need is for you to take a step apart,” they do; Addax’s fingertips brush against the back of Jace’s neck as they part, “and hold hands. We need enough negative space between you…” Seemly keeps talking about the artistic composition of the shot while ze makes sure Jace and Addax are posed right, their hands clasped the right way. Jace feels weird, kind of tingly, which doesn’t really make sense—they’re friends now, according to Addax, and there’s nothing weird about holding your friend’s hand.

He glances at Addax, who looks back and nods at him, making the stray lock of hair fall a bit closer to his eyes. He shakes his head back to half-fix it. Jace registers the movement of his neck, his mouth, his eyelashes.

_Oh,_ Jace thinks. _I don’t only want to be his friend._

The photoshoot goes for another fifteen minutes, which Jace spends trying to will his hand to not sweat too much. Between the hot lights and the sudden emotional revelation, it’s a lost cause. The makeup team descends on them to get most of their photoshoot makeup off, Currant and Seemly say distracted goodbyes as they pore over the photos, and it’s finally over.

“I’ve only ever done solo photoshoots before,” says Jace as they walk through the halls of The Seventh Sun. “Are pairs shoots always like this?”

“Not really,” Addax says. He’s fidgeting with his sleeves again, wrinkling the cuffs and picking at the seams. “I haven’t done one for a military alliance before. And this one was weird on top of that, I think.”

“Yeah?” Jace says.

Addax frowns. “Yeah, I don’t get it. I’m not usually that awkward. I don’t get nervous in front of cameras.”

“Maybe it’s my fault, I was kind of a mess during the whole thing. Probably threw everything off.”

Jace meant it as a joke, but Addax seems completely sincere when he says, “No, I liked that you were there.”

Jace needs to sit in his cool dark room and breathe without his binder on and _process_  before he can make sense of all his feelings. Butterflies and warmth and a feeling like suddenly entering zero-gravity. He can’t help his grin, and he bumps the back of his hand against Addax’s. Addax grins back, and it’s such a goofy look on him compared to how composed he usually seems. His hair is dangerously close to falling in his eyes again, and Jace wants to brush it back into place, but that’s quite different from holding hands, and he can’t bring himself to ask.

“This is me,” Addax says. They’ve reached the hallway that connects The Seventh Sun to Peace. “See you later, Jace.” He reaches out and squeezes Jace’s hand, turning away.

“Cafeteria opens for dinner in forty minutes,” Jace blurts. “Sit with me?”

Addax gives him an amused look. “I usually do.”

“Yeah, I guess you do,” Jace says. “I wanted to make sure.”

“I don’t spend my free time with just anyone, you know.”

“Oh.” Jace steps a little closer and raises his hand to Addax’s face so that the backs of his fingers nearly brush Addax’s cheek. “Can I…?”

Addax stares, blinks. Waits. “Can you what?” He asks after a moment.

“Your hair keeps falling into your eyes,” Jace says.

“Oh,” says Addax. He reaches up and pushes it back himself.

Jace lets his hand drop. Maybe he can pretend it was never near Addax’s face. “Can see your eyes better now,” he says. They’re a strikingly pretty dark brown.

Addax puts a hand on his shoulder and pushes lightly. “Go get that gel out of your hair and meet me in the cafeteria, hotshot.” He looks so fond. Jace feels tingly again.

 

In his room, washing his hair in the sink, Jace takes deep breaths and can’t stop grinning.

 

**Author's Note:**

> they had to use just like random lights they found around the fleet for lighting so the people making the posters were stuck with these dreadfully lit photos of jace staring dreamily at addax, terribly photoshopped in front of a picture of picture of peace and the panther; it’s terrible in part bc there was no greenscreen available either  
> (in fifteen years when they get married the posters sell for huge amounts of money on space ebay)
> 
> this fic is inspired by those [china-ussr communism solidarity posters that look like the guys are in love](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DUT-LkHV4AYhbXy.jpg)


End file.
